Appliques for attachment to apparel, such as hats, T-shirts and other clothing, are well known in the art. These can be affixed by way of heat seals, adhesives or R.F. welded directly to apparel or sewn on. The applique can be of many types and have a three dimensional characteristic by including a puffy foam laminated between opposing vinyl layers, one of which typically bears a decorative design.
Fasteners for attaching materials to penetrable surfaces are known in the art. For example, one such fastener involves a male element having a flat segment and an elongate pin extending therefrom. A female element having a central opening with spring loaded locks enables one to capture the pin extending through the material and thus attach it to the surface. Another known fastener is made with a flat metal piece that can be stamped out from a parent sheet and is provided with laterally located stems that can be folded over to clamp to a material.
When an applique carries a self sticking (pressure-sensitive) adhesive for attachment to an apparel, the adhesive is covered by a release liner that is peeled away prior to attachment. Attaching an applique with pressure sensitive adhesive to a garment is almost always of a temporary nature. Pressure sensitive adhesives, no matter how thick or of permanent composition, will have a tendency to be peeled off a fabric surface such as a garment or they will start to lift of their own accord during use. Most pressure sensitive adhesives perform very poorly on surfaces such as water repellant nylon ( as used on back packs and tote bags).
The applique should be attachable to most types of apparel, whether these be made of nylon, polyester, or other synthetic material or cotton, wool or combinations thereof. Typically an applique affixed with a pressure sensitive adhesive to an apparel tends to have an edge lift off due to movements by the wearer or the curvature of the apparel Adhesives are attractive to the manufacturer because they are easy to include in a manufacturing process for the applique as well as render it easy for the end user to apply the applique to an apparel.
Appliques are frequently used for promotion purposes and it is, therefore, advantageous to include the applique with appropriate promotional material in a convenient and display effective manner. When the applique is to be attached with an adhesive, combining of the applique in a unique or special manner with the promotional material adds complexity.